Utah veterans, politicians see Shinseki resignation through different eyes

Comments

Shinseki is the scapegoat. Now that he has stepped down without so much as a
hint of support from The Great Leader, things within the VA will settle back
into chaos and the Vets will again be forgotten. There are complaints that
nobody who is actually at fault will be fired because it is so hard to fire
federal employees. So let's not fire them, keep them and call in the FBI
to investigate those who have altered federal records, and lied and deceived the
federal government. Prosecute those who designed a program created to lie.
Prosecute those who demanded that employees cook the books. Then recover all the
bonuses paid out to those who gamed the system so well. Then if you really want
to fix the system, show the door to the Great Leader who is of course ultimately
responsible.

AmPatriotTaylorsville, UT

June 1, 2014 3:13 a.m.

I have to disagree with putting an ex-CEO, Romney, in any government position
because governemnt cannot be modified to turn it into a corporation. Government
is a organization that operates at a loss and Romney can't deal with this
kind 'non profit and loss' kind of operation.

An example of
the Romney fix is the Obamacare, its is his design and his CEO corrupted
thinking that has made a mess of the economy and our health care. Romney is the
worst and least qualified to run any government organization, he doesn't
know how to budget and be limited to work on a fixed income. A vagabond off the
street could run the VA better than Romney or Obama but its preferable some one
who cares and can set reasonalbe priorities and turn fat into gravy.

The last thing government needs in its serving and obeying the citizens is a
CEO who forgets that he is on a fixed income and no extra fat to waste.

bullet56Olympia, WA

May 31, 2014 1:30 p.m.

All this finger pointing at the officials assigned the task of taking care of
more and more customers with less and less funds to do it with. WE the voters
are the responsible party for the disgrace we see in the VA system.We the
people make a promise to those who serve. When Congress fails to fund the
growing system under the premise that the federal budget is too big, and rich
taxpayers need a bigger cut in taxes, that leads to fewer dollars to service the
needs of vets. When our Congress and the elected officials vote for sequester,
what can vets and voters expect? Certainly not high moral and excellent care.
Who did you elect that is not doing their job of funding the huge influx of new
VA clients? It is our job as voters to ask these questions. When a party shuts
down the government for politics, that too effects services. A party who
consistently wants to reduce funding for federal programs, to benefit business,
is short sighted and inept. We voters are responsible for the Congress we have
and the services or lack of them, that are in very scarce supply at the VA.

djcStansbury Park, Ut

May 31, 2014 11:51 a.m.

General Shinseki was doing all he could to improve the VA. The Republican Party
has always failed to adequately fund the VA, but the louts in the GOP are always
ready to find fault with anyone who is trying to do a job. This is a truly sad
situation because once all the troops are home, the public will go back to
ignoring veterans like they usually have. This whole situation is disgusting
and reminds me of the Memorial Day antics of Senator Orrin Hatch, who
couldn't even respect the war dead for one day. And yet the politicians
are elected, re-elected and stay in office until they die there. At least they
die as millionaires no matter how much money they had when they went into
office. And through it all the veterans suffer, usually quietly.

Ultra BobCottonwood Heights, UT

May 31, 2014 11:02 a.m.

When government fails, it is always because of private commercial interests who
profit from improper government actions. The financial gain from delaying and
impeding government service to veterans is the with the private doctors and
suppliers.

Competition from the government works against the
profits and control of prices of private enterprise. The war between business
competitors is to be expected. Medical care of veterans or any other American
citizen should not be a for-profit business subject to the greed of businessmen.

In my own case, I prefer the dedication of the VA doctors who seem
to be actually interested in helping me than those private doctors who would
help me only for a price. And while there are exceptions to the rule, I am
convinced that my evaluation is correct.

If there is a scandal at
the VA it is in the reason for the improper conduct much more than in the
conduct itself.

bbcSLC, UT

May 31, 2014 10:58 a.m.

Put the blame where it belongs: CONGRESS. "U.S. Senate Republicans blocked
legislation on Thursday [Feb 27, 2014] that would have expanded federal
healthcare and education programs for veterans, saying the $24 billion bill
would bust the budget.

Even though the legislation cleared a
procedural vote on Tuesday by a 99-0 vote, the measure quickly got bogged down
in partisan fighting.

Supporters said the measure would have brought
the most significant changes in decades to U.S. veterans' programs. For
example, it called for 27 new medical facilities to help a healthcare system
that is strained by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars." [U.S. Senate
Republicans block veterans' health bill on budget worry, Reuters - Thu, Feb
27] IF YOU DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR VETERANS' HEALTH CARE, DON'T
SEND THEM TO WAR!!!

Anti Bush-ObamaChihuahua, 00

May 31, 2014 10:18 a.m.

This is your death panel preview. The Government being in charge of healthcare
is supposed to improve it? All you have to do is look at the VA. What makes you
think that this same thing won't be happening under Obamacare?

Unlike the general public, the military
generally comes out to vote in higher percentages. About 70 percent of the 1.4
million active duty military members voted in 2000 compared with about 51
percent of the general public, according to federal election records. A poll
conducted late last year by the Military Times found that 57 percent of those
surveyed consider themselves Republican, while 13 percent identified with the
Democrats. Among the officer corps the numbers were different. Nearly 66
percent of officers considered themselves Republican compared with 9 percent
Democratic.

Register1Calgary, 00

May 31, 2014 9:09 a.m.

Welcome to socialized medicine. you can get great care IF you can get access.
I live in Canada and every one of the complaints in this article are the same we
experience every day in Canada. Politicians fire our administrators on a
regular basis here as well for the excessive waiting times or not allocating
resources properly. Bottom line is services are allocated according to budget
constraints, and when there's no more $$ the waiting lines for services get
longer. Obama care is not the bugaboo, just understand what uyou are going to
get, longer wait lists and higher taxes and demand for shorter wait lines and an
obsessive distrust for those that can pay for their own care. Mothball your
military and get ready to pay for socialized health care. In Canada we have
great soldiers, just can't afford ships or planes to get them to the fight,

CDLLos Angeles, CA

May 31, 2014 8:59 a.m.

This was all symbolic and an effort to calm the ravenous wolves that called for
his resignation. How idiotic though, the guy was retiring in Sept. anyway so
this wasn't any sacrifice for the good and accomplished nothing really. But
we must not let up, or they will do nothing. You know they are waiting for the
focus to go away now, or hoping it will.

UnclefredTiconderoga, NY

May 31, 2014 8:16 a.m.

The buck has to stop somewhere. The real problem was caused by politicians
putting impossible pressure on the agency to produce impossible results with the
resources available. (Kinda like the Obamacare web rollout) That said, integrity
means stepping up to the plate and telling the public/congress what is going on,
not letting your agency cook the books to make it look like you are doing the
job. Will things get better without him? Not as long as the same politicians put
the same pressure on the VA to do what they won't fund.

JBQSaint Louis, MO

May 31, 2014 8:09 a.m.

Shinseki was controversial just because of his ethnicity. During recent
hearings, the head of the American Legion accused him of being not prepared. He
appeared to be living in an "ivory tower" with no care for how things
were run. He delegated authority as a 4 star general and had no personal
knowledge of the results. He was seen as going to his office every morning,
putting his feet up on the desk, and turning on the radio until it was time to
play golf. In St. Louis, the director of VA-Cochran was a nurse with no
administrative experience. Nurses may have only 2 years of college. Senator
Claire McCaskill, who is hardly conservative, got involved and a
"firefighter" was sent in as a temporary fix. Even the new director
overall, Sloane Gibson, is "temporary". The system is filled with
politics and the primary concern is not administrative competence. From personal
experience, the providers are excellent. The problem is with the administrators
and political appointments for the high salaries. Shinseki, who lost a foot in
Vietnam, appeared to be just a money man with no concern for the troops.

Furry1993Ogden, UT

May 31, 2014 7:41 a.m.

@Robin138 10:57 p.m. May 30, 2014

It's more than that, Robin.
Shinseki is just one more casualty in the far right's vendetta against the
President. They don't only target the President, they also target anyone
who works for him. They have deliberately tried to make the President fail from
the day he was elected, and this is just one more shot in their agenda.

The problems with the VA have been present for a lot of years, in
administrations from both parties. Funny -- I don't remember the far right
going after either Bush, after Regan, etc. wonder why . . .

JWBKaysville, UT

May 31, 2014 7:13 a.m.

The VA has 100s of programs and not just medical. Many of those are well run.
However, the VA has been underfunded from all administrations and Congress over
decades. It has gotten worse with very few in Congress nor Presidents that have
not really served their country in the military. The various non-government
organizations that help Veterans such as MOAA and others warned about the impact
of Obamacare not paying doctors and pharmacy care for the VA doctors would be a
problem and it appears the VA tried to get around the Obamacare mandate. They
have elections coming up and don't want to appear to be anti-VA but they
are. Getting rid of a 4-star won't take care of their problems for
military members and families.

LittleStreamCarson City, NV

May 31, 2014 6:11 a.m.

There are some great doctors and nurses in the VA system. They have treated
Veterans for years. Now however, they are asked to provide the same service
with less money (budget cuts from Congress that should not have been allowed),
with less staff ( if you can't pay doctors and nurses they have to get jobs
elsewhere), and with two wars that keep stuffing the VA hospitals with wounded.
This should be more correctly laid at the feet of Congress. That we should send
these men into battle to die for us, and then not take care of them is not
acceptable and America and Congress at their worst.

gwenmangelsonRogersville, MO

May 31, 2014 5:47 a.m.

I don't believe he is "responsible" I believe he is the scapegoat.
Its not ALL VA's that have problems as my dad and stepdad have been going
to them for years with no problems!I think the people at the facilities
causing the problems need to be replaced!

goinfishnOrem, Utah

May 31, 2014 5:28 a.m.

Jason Chaffetz is a politician, any thing for party. The government is broken,
politicians like Chaffetz need to fired as well. Its up to us to do our job,
please don't make him a long career politician. Enough is enough.

goinfishnOrem, Utah

May 31, 2014 5:22 a.m.

Jason Chaffetz is a politician, an thing for the party. The government is broken
and politician like Jason Chaffetz are at the route of the problem, he also
needs to fired.

jimhaleEugene, OR

May 31, 2014 5:20 a.m.

It is clear that the general had to go. It is clear the warning signs were
there long ago.But his head is not the only one that should roll over
this.The heads of the various veterans organizations knew this was going
on, too. Most of them should resign.The chairs and ranking members of
both veterans affairs committees of the Congress should lose their
chairman/leadership status as well. They were just as duplicitous.

IMAPatriot2PLEASANT GROVE, UT

May 31, 2014 3:29 a.m.

I Obama had a lick of common sense he would appoint Romney as the next VA chief.
At least Romney knows how to fix problems and manage a huge organization.
However, I'm not optimistic that this POTUS can put politics aside long
enough to do something to benefit our veterans.

robin138springfield, VA

May 30, 2014 10:57 p.m.

I believe he was a scapegoat for decades of neglect and underfunding of our
nation's health care system for veterans by politicians of both parties.